Hospitality apprenticeship

The Hospitality apprenticeship covers a range of occupations within one of the largest industries in the country.

Hospitality covers work in hotels and other holiday accommodation, restaurants, cafés, pubs, bars and nightclubs. It includes well-known chains and smaller, independent operators and all sizes of business in between.

As an apprentice in hospitality you could work in a hotel reception area greeting customers and creating a good first impression. Or you might learn to run a bed and breakfast or youth hostel, or pride yourself on keeping a hotel crisp and clean.

To reflect the many career options on offer, there are several pathways. At Intermediate level you might find yourself working in hospitality services where your duties could include serving customers, preparing and serving food and drinks or cleaning and preparing rooms. If you’re interested in working ‘front of house’, there are roles for waiters and silver-service waiters, bar staff, housekeepers, chamber maids and receptionists.

Successful completion of an Advanced level apprenticeship could lead to a management or supervisory role where you might be required to control a budget, provide leadership for your team, maintain the health, hygiene, safety and security of your working environment and lead a team to improve customer service.

Whatever pathway you choose, employers will be looking to see that you are keen to work as part of a team, have a ‘can do attitude’ and have high standards of personal hygiene. You will need to have good basic communication skills and be willing to work shifts, which will often be outside traditional 9–5 working hours.

Level:

Intermediate (Level 2), Advanced (Level 3)

Starting salary (once qualified):

£11,000–£20,000

Job roles:

Advanced Level – Head housekeeper, Head of reception, Front of house manager, Unit manager in a hotel chain or contract catering company, Regional supervisor/manager in a restaurant or pub chain with multiple outlets